Day 103-9/11/2016

Music in worship — Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16

God said to “sing” psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, making melody in your heart. Every New Testament passage that mentions music in worship says to “sing.”

Nowhere does God say to play on instruments.

To play on instruments then, would fall outside the meaning of what God said to do.

God does not have to expressly forbid them.

The fact that He expressly said to sing,

but nowhere says to play instruments,

shows they are displeasing.

Suppose someone says,

“The piano is just an aid to the singing.”

No, a piano is an aid to playing,

but playing is a different kind of music from singing,

just like pine is different from gopher wood in the ark,

and hamburger is different from bread on the Lord’s supper.

The piano is unauthorized because

when we use it we are doing something different

from what God said to do.

On the other hand, if we sing songs that we find in a songbook,

or if we sing various parts (soprano, alto, etc.),

we are just doing what God said.

We are singing and making melody in our hearts.

The songbook is a legitimate aid.

General and Specific Authority

Instruction	Unauthorized	Authorized
Make ark of gopher wood (Gen. 6:14)	Metal Pine, walnut	Hammer and saw Pegs and glue
Go preach the gospel (Mark 16:15)	Human Doctrine	Walk, ride Speak, write, TV
Believe, repent Buried in baptism (Acts 2:36-38; Rom. 6:4)	Baby, animal Sprinkle, pour	River, lake Baptistery
Collection on first day (1 Cor. 16:1,2)	Sale, business Week day	Container Time of day
Bread, fruit of the vine First day (Matt. 26:26ff; Acts 20:7)	Milk and lamb Week day	Containers Time of day
Sing (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16)	Piano, organ	Songbook, parts